Merry Christmas, Everyone
by unshakespearean
Summary: Sequel to It's Real! Six months later, Sadie is struggling to keep Torchwood's secret from her girlfriend back home. Luckily for her, Jack has plans for Christmas - and it might involve what every Harcooper shipper has been waiting for! T for language and Jackness. Dedicated to Mary aka Professional Procrastinator! (UPDATE 7/2: Title changed to "Merry Christmas, Everyone")


**Thank you to Meg (The JohnLocked Whovian) for beta'ing!**

* * *

 _Cara: Can you talk?_

 _Me: No, not really; I'm working._

 _Cara: Come on! We haven't talked in forever!_

"Sadie."

"Sadie, I need you to-"

"-Hold on two seconds, Jack," I say, not turning away from my Hangouts. "I just have to-"

 _Call from: Cara._

"Oh, for God's sake-" I click the accept button. "Cara, honestly, I can't talk; my boss is gonna kill me-"

"-Oh, come on, can't you just tell him we haven't talked in ages? Also, where the hell are you? Do you work some lab or what?"

"Something like that, yeah, and I've said a million times, _it's classified_." I quickly press the little button Tosh added (because I _so_ gave her permission to hack into my computer and screw with my apps) to activate an admittedly neat little greenscreen function.

Jack looks sharply at me. "Sadie, are you video calling on-site?"

I sigh. "Yes, I am. Go ahead and kill me if you want, but it really won't help. Besides, I did the thingy." I point to the little window where I can see what Cara's seeing, and I notice that the "random image" Tosh selected to be my background turned into that awful cat gif… _again_. For like, the three billionth time. I _so_ have to get back at her. Maybe I can make her desktop picture that photo I found in her desk of her and Owen kissing…

"But-" Jack's protest interrupts my plan of revenge.

"-Jack, it's fine," Alexa cuts in. "I know her. Cara's a friend of Sadie's; she's not a problem. _She has no idea_ ," she mutters under her breath.

"Mhm," I say, nodding. It's true. Cara's clueless. "Cara, honestly, I can't, okay?"

"Sadie?" Ianto asks a little bit too innocently.

"Ianto, for God's sake, not now," I sigh.

"But… is she your girlfriend?"

Silence falls. Cara and I blush bright red. "Yes," I finally say. There's a small chorus of giggles and oohing from my nosy teammates and a larger one from my nosier sister. "Shut up. Cara, I'll call you later, I swear."

"I just miss you," she says. "You and Alexa were just going on a vacation and then all of a sudden you decide to stay… You didn't even say goodbye to me."

"I know," I say. "I'll come back to visit, alright?"

"Can't I come see you?" she asks. "Always wanted to see Cardiff."

"Maybe," I say hesitantly. "I have to go. I swear to God I'll call you later."

"Alright," Cara sighs. "I love you."

"I love you more." I grin, blow her a kiss, and hang up, and then I spin my chair around to face Jack. "Sorry," I say to him. "I just miss her."

Jack smiles at me. "I know," he says. "It's nearly Christmas; you're welcome to go home then. I'll even pay your flight."

"Seriously?!" Alexa runs over to Jack and hugs him tightly. "Thank you thank you thank you _thank you, Jack_!"

"Um… I may have not come up with that on my own…" He nudges Alexa off of him and looks over at Gwen, who's smiling at him approvingly.

"Well, yeah, that goes without saying," I say. "Like you could come up with something on your own."

"Oi, that's not nice!" Jack protests. Gwen walks up to him and hugs him from behind. "Stop that," he says, but he grins and pulls her closer.

"Can't believe it's nearly Christmas," Alexa muses. "Feels like yesterday was the vacation of destiny."

I roll my eyes. "Fucking hell, Lex, stop calling it _the vacation of destiny_ already."

"But it was!" she protests. "We wouldn't be with Torchwood if we hadn't. And, moreover, we'd be stuck with the _horrific_ thought that-"

"-Forever and ever, _I know_ ," I interrupt before she can say the rest of her sentence. It's still a touchy subject among the real Torchwood, our Torchwood, that their TV selves had such different fates, and I naturally have to be the one to keep my nutty sister from going on about it. I sling an arm around her shoulders. "Seriously, Lex. Just chill."

"The point is, I can't believe it's almost Christmas," she says, finally taking a hint.

I grin. "Me too. Especially if we get to go back to Boston. I miss her," I say, softly, so only Alexa can hear me.

"I do too," Alexa whispers back. I smile as I think about how close Alexa and Cara are. I always used to worry that the two of them would hate each other, but it's not the case at all. They get along swimmingly, and it's awesome.

"Sadie." Jack's voice pulls me from my thoughts. "Stop daydreaming about your girlfriend. I have things for you to do, and those _things_ do not include a pretty teenager with _fantastic_ hair halfway across the planet."

I laugh. "You're a freaking hypocrite," I say. "If I had a nickel for every time someone said _and those things do not involve_ -"

"You'd be bloody rich," Gwen interrupts, face flushing. "We know."

I grin. "She does really have fantastic hair, though. But she never lets me touch it." It's true. Sometimes, I'll try to touch her hair, and she always says, _Ah-noooo, Sadie. Hands off the coif._

 _But-_

 _-Sadie, do you know how long it takes for me to get my hair this perfect? Black hair takes work, babe, and I'm not about to let you mess it up._ And then she always starts playing with my boring hair and says _Ah, you and your trouble-free white girl locks. All silky. But you don't have the puff or the fluff._

"Sadie. Stop. Daydreaming." Jack shakes my shoulder. "I have work for you."

I sigh. "Okay, fine. What've you got?"

* * *

"Alright, alright, we've all worked for long enough," Jack says as we finally close a case involving children randomly appearing in nightclubs - and trying to seduce the adults in it. "Go home."

I look at my watch. "9:00 pm," I say. "Enough time to call Cara."

"All that matters to you," Alexa teases. "Come on, if we run we can catch the last bus of the night and we won't have to take a taxi." She grabs my hand and pulls me toward the lift. "Bye everyone!"

We reach our flat in record time - _thank god_ the Cardiff bus system is better than the MBTA - and I race for my laptop. "Dammit! Why can't the WiFi ever work when I want it to?"

"Calm down, Outcast," Alexa half-laughs, nudging my shoulder.

"Finally," I sigh once the WiFi decides to work. I call Cara and tap my fingers against the keyboard, waiting for her to pick up. "Come on, Cara… come on, come on, come on-yes!" The ring finally stops and the little image of Cara's profile picture - my favorite picture of her - pops up. "Cara? Are you there?"

"Hello!" she says cheerfully, turning on her video. I'm met with her grinning face and I can't help but grin back. "How was work?"

"Stop," I warn.

"Why can't you tell me?" Cara begs. "Sadie, honestly, I just want to-"

"- _Enough_ ," Alexa interrupts. "Cara. We have made it very clear to you: If we tell, we lose the job. End of story." Alexa and I chose this argument when I first had to tell Cara I wasn't coming home. Of course, this isn't true, but telling Cara they'd go after her wouldn't work; she wouldn't believe it. And if anyone did try to go after Cara, they'd never catch her. She's a master at staying under the radar, and between her expertise and Tosh's difficulty hacking into American computers - ever since Snowden, the NSA has gotten incredibly good at encryption - there's no way they could catch Cara in time.

"But-"

"Want to know a secret?" Alexa asks. "We can't tell you what we do because it's dangerous. Really dangerous. And we love it to bits, but it's dangerous. People die, Cara, and the more you know, the worse off you'll be. Our best friend lost almost everything to this job. Her husband, her child, everything, and that's just the tip of the iceberg."

"Then why the hell are you doing it?" Cara asks.

"Because we love it," I say. "Cara, it's the best job in the world, risk or no risk. So please just leave it alone."

Cara sighs. "I'm never gonna crack you two, am I?"

"No," I say. "I'm sorry, Cara, but unless a miracle occurs, you're not gonna find out. It's just not happening."

My phone beeps. A text from Ianto.

 _From Ianto: OH. MY. GOD._

 _From Ianto: YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED._

 _From Ianto: *Picture*_

I see the picture and my jaw drops. "Lex," I say.

"I saw," Alexa whispers. She smirks. "You owe me twenty quid."

"What the hell is happening?" Cara asks.

Alexa and I look at each other. "Our boss is engaged," we say simultaneously.

"Ooooooh!" Cara grins. "To who?"

"Our other coworker; they've dated for awhile-"

"Oooooh, office romance-"

"-Oh my God," Alexa whispers. "Give her a coffee maker and a stopwatch-" We burst out laughing.

"I should let you go," Cara says.

My phone beeps again.

 _From Jack: Ianto got all excited for a Christmas wedding… I was thinking, instead of paying both of your round trip tickets, I could pay Cara's instead so she could come. After all, you technically get a plus-one._

I show the text to Alexa. "No way," she says.

 _From Jack: I'm completely, 100% serious. If it's any comfort, it was Gwen's idea._

"What the hell is going on?" Cara asks again.

"Congrats, Cara," I say. "It's a Christmas miracle."

"What is-oooh, email; what is it?" She reads the email. "Congratulations; your tickets have been reserved- _Cardiff_?!"

"Merry Christmas," I say. "To both of us."

* * *

 _December 19th_

"I still think you're insane," Owen says as I grab my bag. Alexa and I are going to the airport to pick up Cara.

"Oh, leave it," Gwen says. "Jack said it was fine. I can't wait to meet her, honestly."

"If we ever make it out of the airport," Alexa says. "I swear, as soon as Cara and Sadie see each other, they'll go completely nuts."

"Stop it," I half-beg. "We'll see you guys later!"

The bus ride to the airport is long. Too long. Way, way, way, way too long. "Are we there yet?" I whine to Alexa.

"Oh, calm down," Alexa teases. "We're almost there. Five minutes, according to my app."

The next five minutes feel like five _hours_ , but eventually, we get off the bus, which is nice enough to deposit us right at the door to the airport, and I rush inside, not even bothering to wait for Alexa.

"Sadie, wait up!" Alexa shouts after me. "You're going the wrong way!"

I turn around. "What?"

"We're meeting Cara at the baggage claim," says Alexa. "And that's this way." She points down a different hallway.

"Oh, okay," I say, and I race down that hallway - until I reach a moving sidewalk. "Lex!" I squeal. "A moving sidewalk!"

"You're insane," Alexa sighs as I run across the moving sidewalk. It feels like flying.

I see the sign that says "Baggage Claim" and stop, panting, leaning against the wall. "You wore yourself out," Alexa laughs as she reaches me. "She should be here any minute…"

"SADIE!" Before I can react, I'm being bear hugged within an inch of my life. The kind of bear hug I only get from one person.

"Cara," I whisper into her shoulder. "Oh my God, I can't believe you're really here."

"You're telling me," she says. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," I say. "Oh, God, that's the understatement of the century."

Alexa coughs in a manner that oh so subtly sounds like "kiss her."

"You heard the girl," Cara teases, and she leans in.

It takes about three seconds before we start hearing the boos and the jeers and the "you're going to hell" shtick.

"Ignore them," Cara whispers as we keep at it. "It doesn't matter."

"Alright, alright, that's enough," Alexa says a few moments later. "We have to get back. The others are dying to meet Cara."

"Owen's not," I point out. "He thought it was a dumb idea."

"He's a dumb idea," Alexa says without missing a beat. We both burst out laughing.

Cara sighs. "I have no idea what the heck you two are talking about."

"Sometimes we don't, either," I admit. "It's sort of nutty, what we do. But it's the best."

* * *

"Alright, serious question," says Alexa when we're in the back of the bus. "Which way are we bringing Cara in?"

"That's so not a question," I say. "We're taking the lift."

"But the front door's pretty cool also," she muses.

"Come on, that's ridiculous," I protest. "There is no way in heck that the front is at all cooler than the lift. We're taking the lift, and that's final."

"Oooh, here we are," Alexa says. "Come on."

Cara looks around the Plass. "So where is this-"

"-Shhhhhhh," I interrupt. "You really are so loud; it's almost unreal. Come on." I lead her over to the pavement square. "Watch this!" I step onto the square and watch her face as it forms into a giant expression of shock.

"Sadie-" I jump off the square and she almost screams, "How the heck do you do that?"

"Perception filter," I explain. "It's almost invisible but not really - you can sort of see me, but not really. Like something in the corner of your eye."

"And that's where the lift is?" she asks, _finally_ being quieter.

"Exactly," I say. "Lex, you coming with us?"

"Nah, I'll go in the front," she says. "Have fun!"

"Will do," I say. I pull Cara onto the square and pull out my phone.

"Seriously? You can control it with your phone?" she asks.

"Oh yeah," I say. "Benefit of working with geniuses. It's a new thing, actually, still in beta testing. And going down." I tap my screen and activate the lift.

"OH MY-oops, sorry," Cara says quickly.

I laugh. "It's okay. Nobody can see or hear us when we're on this thing, except for the people downstairs."

"Makes kidnapping easy." I turn around to see that Jack's smirking.

"Oh, for Christ's sake," I say. "Remind me of that one more time and I will ravage the kitchen until I find a frying pan and hit you with it. Again."

"Owwww," he mutters, remembering when I last did that. "Still can't believe you did that."

"You hit someone with a frying pan?" Cara asks. "And what do you mean, kidnapping?"

"Before we go any further, I may as well mention that the ethics around here are practically nonexistent," I explain. "So-Cara, are you listening?"

Cara turns in circles as she steps off of the platform, looking at the Hub. "This place is amazing," she says. "It's like-I don't even know what it's like."

"Well, the first thing it is is an absolute mess." Ianto comes out from wherever he was. "Sorry about that. It would be neater if it weren't occupied by total _pigs_."

"Oi!" Owen shouts from his desk.

"It's true," Alexa points out. "Where are Tosh and Gwen?"

"Watching cat videos on YouTube again," Owen says with his giant smirk.

"Owen!" Tosh whines, popping up from behind her desk. "You said you wouldn't tell on us!"

"Cat videos?" I snort. "For the two most sophisticated people here-"

"-I beg to differ," Ianto interrupts.

"Okay, fine, second two, but the point is, cat videos?" I laugh.

"Is this always how conversations are around here?" Cara asks.

"Pretty much, yeah," I reply. "Anyway, come out of there, you two. Come say hi."

"You're dead, Owen," Tosh mutters. "Hi."

"Guys, this is Cara, my girlfriend," I say. "Cara, these are my teammates-"

"-Captain Jack Harkness," Jack interrupts, going to shake Cara's hand.

"Jack, you're engaged for Christ's sake," I mutter. "Cara, he flirts with everyone; just ignore it. It inflates his ego and God knows he doesn't need it. Anyway, Jack's technically in charge but if we got a nickel for every time we don't listen to him, we'd probably make more than our salaries, and Gwen would be a millionaire."

"I wouldn't," Tosh says. "I listen to Jack most of the time."

"Okay, that's true," I say. "Cara, meet Toshiko Sato. Tosh is our resident computer genius and other than Jack, she's been here the longest. Ten years, if I'm not mistaken. Ten years of being Jack's little minion."

"I am not Jack's _minion_ ," Tosh mutters. "If anyone is a _minion_ , it's Ianto."

"I'll choke saying this, but that's completely fair," Ianto admits. Jack smirks behind Ianto's back. "Oh, look," Ianto says without turning around. "I didn't choke. Means I can cut off your coffee supply if you're not careful." The smirk drops instantly. "That's better. Hi, by the way. Ianto Jones."

"Hi," says Cara. "And who's the millionaire?"

"Oh, that's Gwen," says Alexa. "Jack's fiancé. She's second in command, and I swear, the power struggle between them causes so much tension, it's ridiculous."

Cara laughs. " _To honor and obey_?"

"-Is exactly what anyone planning to do our wedding can plan _not_ to say," Gwen says without missing a beat.

Cara laughs. "Okay, so that's Jack, Gwen, Tosh, Ianto... who's the one who ratted you out?"

"That's Owen," I say. " _Doctor_ Owen Harper, although how he ever got a degree is a mystery to us all." The others laugh. "No, seriously, Owen's pretty smart. He does all of the mad scientist stuff downstairs."

"Okay, which brings me to the million dollar question: Who the hell are you, and what do you do?"

Jack grins. We all know that this is his favorite part. "Torchwood," he says.

"Helpful," Cara scoffs. "What the heck is Torchwood?"

"This is Torchwood. All around you."

"Cut the bullshit, Harkness," Cara growls, taking a step closer. "I lost my girlfriend and one of my best friends to you and your Torchwood. They went on a vacation and never came back. No goodbye, no explanation, nothing, and when I ask them why, they tell me that it's _classified_. Classified this, classified that, and when I finally decided to give up on it, I get an email saying I can come and find out. Well, now I'm here, and so you're gonna tell me: _what on earth are you making Sadie and Alexa do_?"

There's a silence, and then Jack says, "Well, when you put it that way…" We all start laughing.

"I swear, I am going to kill you," Cara mutters. This of course sets us off again. "Okay, what the heck is so funny?"

"Okay," I say. "Okay, time to explain everything. Torchwood is a top-secret organization that tracks down alien life and protects the human race."

"So, like a branch of the government?" Cara asks.

"Noooo!" Jack says quickly. "No way. We're outside the government, beyond the police. They have zero jurisdiction over us. None whatsoever."

"So what, do you have jurisdiction over them?"

"Well, not technically, but everyone knows that when we're here, they back off and let us do what we want. Cops, soldiers, bouncers in pubs, everyone - 'Torchwood' is practically a universal magic word - leave it alone and we'll handle it." Jack smiles. "It's exhilarating."

"Alright… and why did you laugh when I said I was going to kill you?"

"He's immortal," I explain.

"Under any other circumstance, I'd find that strange," Cara muses. "Now it seems weirdly normal."

"Impressive," Owen says. "I think that's a record for adjustment time."

"Do you have aliens in here? You said track them down - are there any here? Can I see them?"

I grin. "We do… but they're not the cutest things in the world."

"Don't care," says Cara. "I want to see them."

"Alright then," I say. "To the vault!"

"Behave down there," Jack teases.

Alexa rolls her eyes. "Please. Like you-"

"-Come on," I say, and I lead Cara down into the vault.

* * *

"So, what's down here?" Cara asks.

I bring her over to the cell. "Cara, meet Janet, one of our many Weevils."

"No fucking way," says Cara. "That thing can't be real - it's gotta be a mask…"

I laugh. "That's what I thought, back in the day."

She raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean, back in the day?"

Shit. Sometimes I forget that the show isn't reality. "You're going to think I'm crazy," I say, "but Sadie and I knew about Torchwood before we joined up, because we saw it on TV."

"What do you mean?" Cara asks. "On TV?"

"Here's the thing," I say. "There's a show called Torchwood and it's about these guys, and what they do. Except in the show, it's different. The plot of the show isn't the same as the plot in reality.

"But if they're so top secret, how is there a show about them?" Cara asks.

"That's the thing," I say. "There were two different realities, two different universes. One of them is the one you and Alexa and I were born in, where Torchwood is a show. The other one is the one the people upstairs were born in, where Torchwood is real. But when Alexa and I came to Cardiff, we bridged the gap. We came to Cardiff on a whim, really, as a joke to see if Torchwood is real. But then we ended up almost wishing them into existence. After the show ended in our universe, four years ago, people stopped really caring. But Lex and I, we still cared. And when we started jumping around Cardiff trying to find the invisible lift, we ended up jumping through the rift under the city and into the other universe."

"Rift?"

"Think San Andreas Fault, but between different dimensions. But now the universes are intertwined, they've sort of spilled into each other."

"So is there another you in the other universe, and another me, that can just walk into this one?"

"I don't think so," I say. "Jack says that Alexa and I are the exceptions, that there's no other-us in any other universe. And if there is another you, she won't be able to just walk in. The only reason Torchwood got sucked through is because they're tied to the rift; it's practically how they live. It's safe, Cara… pretty much."

"Okay, so you already knew about them… didn't they freak out, because they're top secret and all that?"

"Yeah, they did," I say. "And they tried to wipe our memories. They managed to wipe Alexa's, but not mine. I had to trip the amnesia on my own. God, Cara, it was the scariest day of my life."

"Scarier when your parents-"

I laugh. "When my parents kicked me out, I lost nothing. If they didn't want me, that's on them. But Alexa was the one who stuck by me. Losing her was far worse."

"Then what about me?" Cara asks. "At the end of this, what happens to me? Do they wipe my memory now?"

"Absolutely not," I say firmly. "I won't let them, Alexa won't let them-"

"-But Jack-"

"-Won't do a thing, I promise."

"But did he promise? Did he promise you?"

I shake my head. "No, he didn't promise me. He did something way more serious than that."

"What?"

I smile. "He promised Gwen. For him, that's like swearing on a Bible."

Cara sighs. "Okay, if you say so."

I lean against the wall, only annoying Janet a _little_ bit. "It's funny," I say. "In the show, all of the big conversations, they always happen down here, or in a hallway… never up in the main room. It's like the main room is strictly reserved for things that aren't serious in any way… or the end of the world. But all of the serious, heartfelt things - they all start down here?"

"And how do they end?" Cara asks. "In the show, how do they end?"

Fuck. I know exactly how they end - the way Lex and I don't want them to. But the show isn't real anymore. _This_ is real. The reality where things work out.

So I do what I have to do - tell the truth, but by lying.

"They work out fine," I say. "They work out fine, and everyone lives happily ever after."

Cara smiles and pulls me in for a kiss. God, I've missed kissing her. I've missed her in general.

"I love you," I whisper once we pull apart. "You know we'll be fine, right?"

"Yeah," she says. "Well, come on, these guys are creeping me out." She motions to the Weevils. "Seriously, they scare me."

"Alright," I say, and I lead her up out of the Vault.

"You took awhile in there," Jack says once we're back in the main room. "What were you doing?"

"Ah, just upholding the Torchwood tradition of having deep and meaningful conversation whilst surrounded by shit-eating aliens," I say casually.

"They eat shit?!" Cara yelps.

"Yeah, well, they live in the sewers," Jack explains. "But way to go, Sadie. Gotta love that tradition."

"Okay, I have another question," Cara says.

Jack grins at her, eager to tell her more about his wonderful organization. (Ha.) "Shoot." Cara bursts out laughing. "What?"

"I was gonna ask, what's the basketball hoop for?" she snickers. "Puns!"

"Puns," Ianto says solemnly from his corner. We all stare at him for a second. "What?"

"The basketball hoop, eh?" Jack smirks. "You really want to know?" He doesn't wait for a response before whistling loudly. Instantly, Myfanwy comes swooping down from her nest and turns a circle around the room before landing neatly in front of Jack. She nuzzles his side and lets out a contented screech.

"Oh my God!" Cara exclaims. "What is it?"

"This is Myfanwy, our pterodactyl," Jack says. "Otherwise known as Ianto's audition piece." His smirk becomes even more devilish as Owen snorts loudly and Tosh giggles.

"And I'd honestly thought I'd heard your worst," Ianto groans.

"Definitely not a good assumption to make," Tosh says sagely.

Cara raises an eyebrow. "Okay, what do you mean, audition piece? I mean, my gaydar already goes completely gaywire around you guys - sorry, Gwen, but come on - but now you're making this place sound like a Broadway show."

"Told you so," Owen whispers in Tosh's ear. Tosh giggles again. "Bloody hell, you're cute." He kisses her cheek and cuddles her close to him.

"Aaaaawwwww," we all say together.

"Heads up!" Gwen shouts, and she tosses us the basketball.

* * *

The wedding goes swimmingly. It's small - us and Gwen's parents and Andy the police officer - but it's fantastic regardless. Owen manages to only get a little drunk - but only after Tosh accepted his proposal. (We were all excited when he did that, but not wholly surprised).

That night, we all go back to the Hub. "I can cancel your flight," Jack says to Cara for the zillionth time. "You're welcome to join up."

"No," Cara says again. "It was awesome being here, but I don't think I can handle it. I already miss Boston, and if you're not going to keep things a big huge secret anymore, I can handle missing Sadie."

"What about Sadie missing you?" Jack asks.

"I'll be fine," I say. "We can still call and video chat. Honestly, Jack. It's okay. We'll all be okay."

"She'll be fine," Alexa assures him. "And if she's not, we'll figure it out. I mean, isn't our entire life just making shit up on the spot?"

"Yeah, that about sums it up," I nod. "Well, we should probably head home - help Cara pack up. See you Monday, guys!" I turn to my sister and to my girlfriend. "Let's head home."

* * *

 **Hey guys! Lia here! I actually did it! I actually wrote a sequel to IR! Despite saying I wouldn't!**

 **But of course, I was asked to do this by the one person who can make me fold like a road map. Just my luck.**

 **Yes, friends, this one is dedicated to my best friend in the whole world, Mary, aka Professional Procrastinator, who, as of yesterday, is fourteen years old! YAY!**

 **Mary… oh dear god I don't even know where to start. I guess I can start where it all started - last August, when I wrote It's Real and you reviewed. Looking back, it seems obvious. How else would I become close to someone, if not through my pride and joy, if not through my fanfic - if not through my precious ship? But hey, back then, I thought it was a huge surprise and giant and fantastic and-well, it is still giant and fantastic. This whole thing is giant and fantastic, the fact that you and I are such good friends, and that we've been through such a crazy ride. And we have gone through the most ridiculous rollercoaster, and it's been one hell of a ride - and a hellish one. But it's also been a great one, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Because even though there have been some crazy scary portions of it, really scary, the fact that we're still laughing, the fact that we're still joking around,** _ **the fact that we're still friends**_ **\- makes up for it over and over and over again.**

 **Happy belated birthday, my dearest Mary, and here's to many, many more.**

 **Make sure to checkout the things - ESPECIALLY the petition on my profile!**

 **And, as always, love and ducks to the Lone Shippers, hugs to supporters, thanks to Eleonora, Noe, Hanul, and Kizzie, cake for Mary, and cookies for all!**

 **Love,**

 **Lia xx**


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